Mastering The Bunker Shot: Three Things You Can’t Skip

Landing in a bunker is punishment for a missed hit. Since just about every course has some bunkers, it’s inevitable you will end up one so make sure you have the skills to get the ball out. If you’ve ever left a ball in the bunker, skulled one across the green or simply didn’t get it as close as you wanted, see if you were skipping any of these three things. 

Control the entry point into the sand 

You must hit a few inches behind the ball to hit a great bunker shot. This way, the ball carries out of the bunker higher and softer. To control your club’s entry point into the sand and make sure you don’t hit all ball or too much sand, follow these steps: 

• Open the club’s leading edge to increase loft. Take a wide stance with your body lined up square to the target. 
• Lower your hands a bit while still keeping the clubface open. 
• Lean on the left side (for a right-handed player) 
• Setup with the club about three inches behind the ball and focus on making contact with this spot 
• Maintain a stable (not stationary) lower body, rotate and keep your head over the ball to ensure crisp contact and a descending blow. 

To work on your control of this entry point, head to a practice bunker and draw a line in the sand about three inches behind the golf ball. Use the steps above to get into the right position and then focus on making contact with that line. 

Use wrist extension – not flexion 

To hit great iron shots in golf, you want a little bit of flexion in the lead wrist. This wrist angle helps with compression, consistency and squaring the clubface. 

In the bunker, the goal is the opposite. We want the lead wrist to have some extension (or cupping). This helps maintain an open face and effectively use the club’s bounce. 

If you are setting up to hit bunker shots with the idea that you want to flex that lead wrist (bowing of the wrist) through impact, you’ll have a hard time ever getting distance control out of the bunker. Instead, feel more like the top of your hand is bending towards your forearm through impact. 

There are a few ways to make sure you add extension to your lead wrist: 

• Start by opening the clubface on your wedge and then gripping it.
• When you take the club back, don’t sway. Stay directly over the ball, pivot and hinge the wrists in the backswing (hinging adds extension to the lead wrist).
• Use swing speed for both short and longer bunker shots to ensure the clubface penetrates the sand.
• As you swing through the ball, focus on keeping some of that extension and not worrying so much about forward shaft lean or a flexed lead wrist. 

A great way to feel this is the throw-the-sand drill. Start with the club in the sand (no ball) and push the club through the sand, feeling like you are throwing the sand off the clubface. To succeed at throwing the sand off the clubface, you’ll need a bit more cupping in that lead wrist.

The bowing of the lead wrist will dig the club deeper into the sand without throwing sand off. Do the drill about 10 times, then hit a ball using your normal stance and technique. The ball should come out pretty easily. 

Adjust for the sand type 

Soft sand and hard sand respond differently so you have to be prepared and adjust your club selection, face angle and swing path accordingly. 

Soft sand 

For soft sand, use a lower-lofted wedge like the 54 or 56. The club’s bounce will help prevent digging and ensure you get the club through the sand and the ball out of the trap. 

Keep the face open and create a wide swing. You can lean on the lead side (left for right-handed golfers) a little and let the club head accelerate through the sand without digging too deep. 

Hard sand 

Try using a higher-lofted wedge (preferably one with a little less bounce if you have it). High-bounce wedges can skid off the hard surface, making it difficult to get enough loft on the ball. Set up square on these shots to keep the effect of the bounce angle to a minimum. 

Add even more pressure on the lead foot and consider this a steeper swing with a more descending blow. Let the club “fall” into the sand so it doesn’t skip across. 

Final thoughts 

Sometimes all it takes to make a bunker shot work is a little tweak or adjustment. Having confidence and ensuring your mind is in the right place before you take a swing can be equally important for getting the ball out of the sand and onto the green.